Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) bragged about the high wages she’s giving out to her staff so they would have a “living wage,” but now some are questioning her motives.
As IJR Blue reported, Ocasio-Cortez vowed to pay a minimum entry-level salary of $52,000 to her staff, which is well above the going rate of a Hill staff assistant of $31,587. She announced that she would be able to afford to pay her entry-level staffers more by cutting the wages of her higher-ranking staff members like her chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti.
Ocasio-Cortez announced that her highest paid staffer would make $80,000.
Leadership starts with our choices.
That’s why I decided that no one on my staff will make less than $52k/year.
It’s likely one of the highest entry-level salaries on the Hill. We pinch pennies elsewhere, but it’s worth every dime to pay a living wage.https://t.co/IxfNH4632h
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 23, 2019
A lot of people commenting don’t know how Congressional salaries work.
Each member is given a set amount that they disburse. GOP has refused to increase budgets in years to give hard-working staff a raise, which means people helping to run the country are getting paid $30k/year.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 23, 2019
But now, some are calling Ocasio-Cortez’s noble salary system into question.
According to a report by the Washington Examiner, Ocasio-Cortez’s new salary rules also allow Chakrabarti to dodge a public financial disclosure. – READ MORE